Pendant owners normally keep their pendants secured on an appropriate necklace that has been selected for material, color, style and size compatibility with each pendant. When not wearing their pendants, they are normally secured on their necklaces in a jewelry box, or safe, or other safe storage container by the owner, along with the appropriate necklace. Personally owned pendants are not publically displayed, as such display might be deemed socially ostentatious, as well as an invitation to thieves.
Jewelry retailers normally display their pendants for sale beneath glass cabinetry for security purposes. In this position, customers are viewing the pendants from directly above. The pendants are displayed in a box or on a miniature bust at an angle that permits the viewer, who is looking down on the pendants, to better see the front of the pendants. Pendants are most frequently displayed on a necklace to permit the potential buyer to see the relationship between the necklace and the pendant, including the bail, if a bail is used to connect the pendant to the necklace.
A special need for the mechanism illustrated in the disclosed embodiments arises from observations related to the recent invention of certain baby teeth jewelry (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,226,877; 8,661,849; 9,364,993, D718,655), in which pendants are made from one or more processed baby teeth of a child or other relative of the jewelry owner. A primary value of these pendants is as attractive family heirlooms. Family heirloom pendants are not common. These pendants are distinguishable from rare gem stone pendants in that, although valuable heirlooms to family members, they offer little or no value to others, including thieves.
Heritage, or “heirloom”, pendants are also unique in that they represent an expression of devotion to a family member, rather than a fashion statement or a symbol of status. Some potential buyers of an heirloom may prefer wearing fashion jewelry, and therefore may be reluctant to purchase an heirloom pendant. Other owners of heirloom pendants value them highly and are not inclined to wear them regularly for fear of loss or damage. Other owners, particularly men, who highly value the heirloom quality of the heirloom pendant, may not be inclined to regularly wear necklaces or pendants. Thus, the unique qualities of heirloom pendants present new challenges to their marketing.
Thus there is a need for a device that overcomes the challenges to marketing and owning heirloom pendants. The disclosed embodiments provide an apparatus and method for displaying pendants, including, but not limited to, devotional and heirloom pendants, in a non-retail environment that is uncommon to traditional jewelry displays.
The disclosed embodiments provide a method that overcomes the challenges to marketing and owning heirloom quality pendants, and provides the owners of other types of pendants an ability to display the pendants at home or work. First, despite centuries of owning pendants, it offers a device and method for storing and displaying pendants that is entirely new, and never before offered for this purpose, thus generating interest associated with its novelty. Second, it provides persons who are not inclined to wear heirloom pendants, and persons who are not inclined to wear jewelry, with an opportunity to own and display their devotional heirloom or other favorite pendants.
Third, it provides a device and method for enabling an entire line of pendants to be used as both pendants and as keepsake items. Fourth, it provides a vertically oriented pendant stand that is adapted for dresser or desktop display of a single heirloom pendant without the necklace. Fifth, one embodiment provides a device and method for freely rotating the pendant to any desired angle relative to the pendant stand. Sixth, it provides a means of easy detachment and reconnection for close inspection and sharing of the displayed pendant.
Other advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, the embodiments are disclosed.